The longtime Birmingham business in your tacklebox + now your mailbox

Sponsored

Love to fish? It turns out some of your favorite lures and memories connect directly to a Birmingham company whose products are now immortalized on postage stamps.

Back in March, the U.S. Postal Service released the Freshwater Fishing Lures stamps, featuring five different popular lures. Two of them, the Rebel Pop-R and the Arbogast Jitterbug, are among the thousands produced by PRADCO Outdoor Brands, which is part of Birmingham-based EBSCO Industries.

To learn more about the recognition, we chatted with longtime PRADCO Fishing Vice President and General Manager Bruce Stanton, who shared his insights about why things as small as fishing lures and stamps carry such big meanings and impacts.

Why fishing lures are special

Over his 30 years with PRADCO Fishing, Stanton has spent plenty of time on the water, giving him the chance to reflect on their work and experience the products in action firsthand.

“So why do people buy fishing lures?” he asks, before answering:

🚤 They’re usually the most budget-friendly gear in fishing, already a relatively inexpensive hobby when you keep it simple.
📸 They are part of special memories + almost always make the photo.
😊 They are a key part of fishing, which is good for mental health.

“There are lots of components, but it’s always the lure. That’s the connection between you and the fish. If you’ve ever fished a Jitterbug and experienced a fish coming up and hitting that thing on top of the water, you connect to it. And now you can share that with someone else as you mail a check or Christmas card or graduation card. It makes us feel good. It connects us.”
_{Bruce Stanton, PRADCO Fishing Vice President and General Manager}

📬 No better time to drop your fishing buddy a line, right? USPS Forever® stamps hold their value forever for the current first-class mail one-ounce letter price. You can order the Freshwater Fishing Lures stamps here.

PRADCO, EBSCO + the Birmingham backstory

More than 30 years before the Magic City reeled back the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) to Alabama, EBSCO cast its line in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and acquired Rebel Fishing Lures, originally founded in 1962. That acquisition in 1980 marked the beginning of EBSCO’s ownership of PRADCO, which today encompasses 20 fishing brands, six hunting brands and one pet brand.

Notably, the Rebel Pop-R is one of the lures featured on the stamps, while the other is the Jitterbug by Arbogast, which became part of PRADCO in 1997.

Stanton says that while most consumers who purchase these brands aren’t aware of the PRADCO and EBSCO connections, its distributors like Walmart and Bass Pro Shops certainly are—and value their longstanding commitment to hunting and fishing.

Interested in careers with PRADCO Outdoor Brands? Visit the company’s career portal.

Strides for sustainability

While stamps evoke memories, PRADCO is also actively shaping the future of fishing, especially in sustainability.

One of its most recent innovations, the Lindy B-MAX line, hit store shelves in February of this year. The lures use a custom bismuth-tin blend that delivers the performance of lead without the environmental risk to animals and at a price lower than tungsten alternatives.

🐟 Local tip: Try the Lindy B-Max Little Nipper for catching crappie.

Stanton also serves as co-chair of the American Sportfishing Association’s Sustainability, Climate and Diversity Committee, leading PRADCO’s partnership with Walmart and third-party consultants and major universities to transition soft plastics packaging to biodegradable and other sustainable materials.

From sustainability leadership to national recognition on a stamp, PRADCO has become an anchor in both the cultural and environmental future of fishing, embodying EBSCO’s heart for sustainability and its leadership’s passion for fishing and the outdoors, Stanton says.

Do your values align? You can learn more about EBSCO Industries’ complete portfolio of brands and explore careers here.

Sponsored by: